Material handler

ABSTRACT

A material handler for use by a self-propelled machines to handle elongate panels of sheet material comprises a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels. A base mounts the support for pivotal movement of the support relative to the base about a tilt axis which is transverse to the length of the elongate panels when held on the support. The base is adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine. A mover drives the pivotal movement of the support relative to the base to selectively tilt the support about the tilt axis so that when the elongate sheets are held by the support the elongate sheets assumes a desired slope along their lengths.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to material handlers, and in particular to material handlers for use by self-propelled machines to handle elongate panels of sheet material.

In the roofing industry, as well as other industries, it is common to use elongate panels of sheet material at elevated heights. For example, many industrial and commercial buildings have roofs constructed of corrugated roofing panels. These panels, which are commonly made from steel, aluminum, or copper, can be made into any shape and size to accommodate the dimensions and configuration of the roof. Typically, roofing panels are made relatively large to reduce the number of panels that need to manufactured, purchased, transported, and installed. As a result, it is common for metal roofing panels to have widths ranging from about 2 feet to about 4 feet and length ranging from about 3 feet and about 50 feet. It is also common for each panel to weigh between about 1 pound and about 3 pounds per square foot. By way of example, a panel being 3 foot wide by 20 foot long and weighing 2 pounds per square foot would weigh about 120 pounds.

Commonly, roofing panels are packaged during the manufacturing process in bundled stacks containing numerous panels. As can be appreciated, these bundles weigh a considerable amount. Accordingly, machinery (e.g., forklifts, trucks), is typically used to move the bundle of panels from the manufacturer to any intermediate locations (i.e., warehouse, retail store) and finally to a job site, were the panels can be used. At the job site, the bundle (or numerous bundles) of panels is typically placed on the ground. Individual panels are then separated from the bundle and manually transported to the roof of the building were they can be secured to framing members (e.g., roof trusses) of the building. Manually transporting each panel to the roof is both time consuming and labor intensive because of the weight and size of each panel, and the height to which the panel needs to be transported.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A material handler of the present invention is for use by a self-propelled machine to handle elongate panels of sheet material. The material handler generally comprises a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels. A base mounts the support for pivotal movement of the support relative to the base about a tilt axis which is transverse to the length of the elongate panels when held on the support. The base is adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine. A mover drives the pivotal movement of the support relative to the base to selectively tilt the support about the tilt axis so that when the elongate sheets are held by the support, the elongate sheets assume a desired slope along their lengths.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method of sheathing a pitched roof on a structure using elongate panels of sheet material having a length and a width. The method generally comprises loading a plurality of elongate sheet material panels onto a support. The panels lie in a stack on the support. The method also includes raising the support to a height corresponding to that of the pitched roof to be sheathed, and tilting the support to an angle such that the sheet material panels held by the support are inclined along their lengths. In addition, the method includes sliding sheet material panels lengthwise from the stack on the tilted support onto the structure and securing them to the structure for sheathing the pitched roof.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a material handler can be used by a self-propelled machine to handle elongate panels of sheet material. Each elongate sheet has a length and a width. The material handler generally comprises a base adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine and a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels. The support is adjustable relative to the base in a direction to accommodate elongate panels of different widths.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating a material handler of the present invention attached to a telehandler and used to support elongate roofing panels adjacent a building under construction;

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the material handler;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the material handler;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the material handler with a portion of a beam cut away;

FIG. 5 is a section of the material handler taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the material handler;

FIG. 7 is a perspective of the material handler showing a support disconnected from a base;

FIG. 8 is a perspective of the material handler showing support arms in a fully extended position;

FIG. 9 is a perspective of the material handler showing two telescopic beams fully extended and tilted; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective of the material handler showing the two telescopic beams fully extended and in a generally horizontal position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, a material handler of the present invention is indicated generally at 1. As illustrated, the handler 1 is connected to a telehandler T (broadly, “self-propelled machine”) and holds a stack of corrugated roofing panels P. A telehandler is a type of forklift having an extensible boom. As a result, the telehandler T can be used to lift the panels P supported by the material handler 1 to adjacent a roof (generally indicated at R) of a building B under construction. The material handler 1 can pivot about a tilt axis TA (FIG. 2) transverse to the length of the elongate panels P to position the roofing panels at an angle matching the pitch of the roof R. The pitch of roof R is the amount of vertical rise in the roof per horizontal run, which can also be expressed as an angle a formed between the roof R and a horizontal plane which intersects the apex of the roof. The roofing panels P then can be removed from the material handler 1 as needed, and secured to the roof R in the desired location. Thus, a considerable amount of time and labor costs are saved as compared to manually transporting the roofing panels P one at a time to roof level, as is commonly done. It is understood that the material handler 1 can be used with other types of elongated panels of sheet material besides roofing materials without departing from the scope of this invention. It is further understood that the self-propelled machine could be a forklift or even some other machine that does not perform a lifting function without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is also envisioned that the material handler 1 could be attached to supporting structure that is not self-propelled.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the material handler 1 comprises a support, generally indicated at 3, and a base, generally indicated at 5, mounting the support. The support 3 comprises two telescopic beams, which are indicated at 7, and eight, spaced-apart support arms 9 attached to the beams for receiving and supporting roofing panels. The two telescopic beams 7 extend generally parallel to a longitudinal axis LA of the material handler 1 and in opposite directions. Each beam 7 comprises a series of (i.e., four) beam elements 11A-11D formed from structural tubing having progressively smaller cross sections so that the beam elements with smaller cross sections can be telescopically received in the beam elements with larger cross sections (FIGS. 5 and 6). Each of the beam elements 11A-11D are adapted for selective positioning between a retracted position (FIG. 2), in which the smaller beam element is substantially received within the adjacent larger beam element, and an extended position (FIG. 10), in which the smaller beam element is extended from the adjacent larger beam element. In the illustrated embodiment, the length of the support 3 extends from approximately 8 feet when all of the beam elements 11A-11D are fully retracted to approximately 43 feet when the beam elements are fully extended. The dimensions of the support 3 are provided for exemplary purposes only and can be different from those listed herein. It is understood that the material handler 1 could comprise a single beam 7 or more beams without departing from the scope of this invention. It is also understood that the beams 7 could have more or fewer beam elements 11A-11D.

As shown in FIG. 5, each telescopic beam 7 comprises four beam elements 11A-11D, each with a different cross sectional area. Three of the beam elements 11B-11D are telescopically received in the other, larger beam elements 11A. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the three, telescopically received beam elements 11B-11D have a plurality of holes 13 located at spaced intervals generally along the lengths of the beam elements. The beam elements 11A with the larger cross sections have a single hole 13. To secure the beam elements 11A-11D at the desired length, the holes 13 of adjacent beam elements are aligned and pins 15 are inserted therethrough. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the holes 13 in the beam elements 11A-11B can be aligned so that in the retracted position a single pin 15 can be used to secure all of the beam elements of a single beam 7. To extend the length of the beam 7, the pin 15 is removed and the beam elements 11A-11D with smaller cross sections can be slid in a longitudinal direction to the desired length. As illustrated in FIG. 9, three pins 15 can be used to fix adjacent beam elements 11A-11D of a single beam 7 together in a fully extended position. Since the beam elements with smaller cross sections have a plurality of holes, the length of the support 3 can also be extended to positions between the fully extended position and the fully retracted position to accommodate panels of sheeting material having different lengths. It is understood that the beam elements 11A-11D may include more or fewer holes 13 to vary the possible longitudinal lengths to which the beams 7 can be extended.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, sleeves, which are make of nylon, are used to centrally maintain the portions of the beam elements 11B-11D having smaller cross sections with respect to the beam elements having larger cross sections in which they are received. The sleeves comprise a first sleeve section 67, which is attached to the inside surface of one of the beam element 11A-11C that receives a smaller beam element, and a second sleeve section 69 is attached to the outside surface of the smaller beam element 11B-11D. Both of the sleeve sections 67, 69 are attached adjacent the end of the respective beam element 11A-11D such that when the beam elements are in a retracted position as illustrated in FIG. 5, the sleeve sections are spaced from each other to adequately support the smaller beam element at both ends. FIG. 4 shows a portion of the largest beam element 11A cut away to expose the first sleeve section 67 attached to the inside surface thereof, and the second sleeve section 69 attached to the outside surface of the adjacent beam element 11B, which is received in largest beam element. In addition, the sleeves sections 67, 69 provide a smooth surface for sliding the beam elements 11B-11D with respect to each other, and act as a stop to prevent the smaller beam element from sliding out of the larger beam element when the beam elements are moved to the extended position.

As mentioned above, the support 3 also comprises a number of support arms 9, which are attached to the longitudinally extending beams 7 by brackets 19. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, a total of eight support arms 9 are attached to the beams 7. Two support arms 9 are attached to the beam elements 11A with the largest cross section and one support arm to each of the other beam elements. The support arms 9 are centered about the longitudinal axis LA of the material handler 1 to accommodate and support elongate roofing panels. Since the beams 7 are spaced from and extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis LA of the material handler 1, one end of the support arms 9 is spaced further from the beam 7 than the other end of the support arm to center the load over the longitudinal axis LA of the material handler 1. The support arms collectively align to define a planer surface generally in a horizontal plane for receiving the roofing panels.

As best illustrated in FIG. 6, the support arms 9 attached to the beam elements 11B-11D with smaller cross sections have taller brackets 19 to compensate for the reduced height of the beam element so that all of the support arms lie in generally the same horizontal plane. The brackets 19, which are generally channel shaped in cross section, are attached to the beam elements 11B-11D using fasteners (i.e., bolts) and to the support arms 9 by welding.

Referring to FIG. 8, each of the support arms 9 has a fixed central portion 23, a forward extending portion 25, and a rearward extending portion 27 to thereby allow the length of the arms to be selectively positioned for accommodating elongate panels of different widths. In the illustrated embodiment, the length of the support arms 9 can be selectively changed from about 28 inches (FIG. 3) to about 56 inches (FIG. 9). The support arms 9 are formed from tubular steel having a generally square cross section. The central portions 23 of the support arms are fixed (e.g., welded) to either the beam elements 11A or the brackets 19. The extending portions 25, 27 have slightly smaller cross sections than the fixed portions 23 such that the extending portions can be telescopically received in the fixed portion. Each of the fixed portions 23 include a hole 26 positioned adjacent each end for aligning with one of a plurality of holes 28 in the extending portions 25, 27 (FIG. 8). The extending portions 25, 27 have holes positioned approximately every 2 inches along its length to provide numerous lengths at which the support arms 9 can be positioned. Pins 30 are selectively insertable into the holes 26, 28 after they are aligned to secure the extending portions 25, 27 with respect to the fixed portions 23. In addition, each of the extending portions 25, 27 can be removed from the fixed portion, which may be advantageous when loading panels P onto the support 3. It understood that the extending portions 25, 27 and/or the fixed portions 23 can have more or fewer holes. It is also understood that the extending portions may be selectively secured to the fixed portions 23 using devices besides pins.

Each of the support arms 9 further comprises upwardly extending flanges 29 attached to each end of the support arms. The flanges 29, which are generally rectangular shaped pieces of metal, are adapted to engage opposite side edges of the panels positioned on the support 3 to thereby prevent the panels from sliding off of the support. It is understood that the support arms 9 may be selectively positionable between lengths different from those provided herein or have a fixed length without departing from the scope of this invention. It is also understood that the support 3 could have more or fewer support arms 9 than disclosed herein.

A retainer 32 is located at one end of the support 3 for holding the elongate panels, when positioned on the support in a tilted position, from sliding off of the support. The retainer is pivotally mounted on the central portion 23 of the support arm 9 for movement between a retaining position and a non-retaining position. It is understood that the support arms 9 positioned at the end of both beams 7 could have retainers. It is also understood that the retainer may be fixed in the retaining position.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7, the base 5, which underlies the support 3, comprises a first fork tube 33 and a second fork tube 35 spaced from the first fork tube. Each of the fork tubes 33, 35 is made of rigid structural tubing, such as steel tubing having a generally rectangular cross section, that is sized and shaped for allowing forks (not shown) of the telehandler T to slide in and out of the fork tubes. The illustrated fork tubes 33, 35 are adapted for receiving forks having a width of about 4 inches and a thickness of about 1.8 inches. In addition, the fork tubes 33, 35 are slightly shorter than the length of the forks on the telehandler T. As a result, pins can be inserted through apertures adjacent the ends of the forks to secure the material handler 1 to the telehandler T. It is understood that the fork tubes 33, 35 may have other shapes and sizes to accommodate various sizes of forks. It is also understood that the material handler 1 can be attached to the telehandler T, other types of self-propelled machines, or supporting structures using other suitable attachment means besides forks.

Two spacer members 37, made of square steel tubing are welded to and span between the fork tubes 33, 35. One of the spacer members 37 is aligned generally with rear edge margins of the fork tubes 33, 35 while another spacer member is aligned generally with the front edge margins of the fork tubes. Four frame members 39 are securely attached (i.e., by welding) to the top of the fork tubes 33, 35 and spacer members 37 to form a rectangular frame, indicated generally at 41. The outwardly facing surfaces of the frame members 39 are generally coplanar with the outwardly facing surfaces of the fork tubes 33, 35 and the spacer members 37. It is understood that the base 5 can have more or fewer spacer members 37, or the fork tubes 33, 35 and the spacer members can be formed from as one piece.

A platform, indicated generally at 43, is pivotally mounted on the frame 41 of the base 5. The platform 43 includes three rigid, structural tubes 45, such as steel tubing having a square cross section. Two of the tubes 45 extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis LA of the material handler 1 and are spaced outwardly an equidistance from the axis in a forward and a rearward direction. The other tube 45 extends between and is attached to the two parallel tubes such that the three attached tubes from a generally U-shaped structure. The platform 43 further comprises a rod 49 extending between and attached to the two parallel tubes 45. The rod 49 is positioned adjacent the ends of the parallel tubes, spaced from the transverse tube. It is contemplated that the platform 43 can have other configurations, such as being a unitary structure or comprising more or fewer structural tubes 45.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7, the material handler 1 further comprises a hinge 51 and linkage, generally indicated at 53, connecting the frame 41 of the base 5 to the platform 43. The hinge 51, which is located along a first side of the base 5, forms a pivot on which the platform 43 can rotate with respect to the frame 41 of the base 5. The hinge 51 comprises a pair of knuckles (only one is shown) welded to the frame 41 of the base 5 and a knuckle welded to the platform 43. Each of the knuckles has an opening for receiving a hinge pin 52.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the linkage 53, which is located along a second side of the base, opposite the first side, is adapted to extend and retract in conjunction with the pivotal movement of the platform 43 on the hinge 51. The linkage 53 comprises two pairs of links. Each pair of links has an upper link 55 and a lower link 57. The upper link 55 is pivotally mounted at one end on the rod 49 of the platform 43 and on the lower link 57 at its opposite end. The lower link 57 is pivotally mounted at its end opposite the upper link 55 on the frame 41 of the base 5. Accordingly, the linkage 53 moves from a collapsed position when the platform 43 is positioned generally horizontal with respect to the frame 41 to a raised position (FIG. 7) when the platform is tilted about the tilt axis TA.

As shown in FIG. 4, the platform 43 is attached as by welding to the telescoping beams 7 by two tubular framing members 59. Each of the tubular framing members are attached to both beams 7 to thereby attach the base 5 to the support 3. Thus, movement of the platform 43 about the tilt axis TA results in the support 3 also moving about the tilt axis. A hydraulic cylinder (broadly, “a mover”), which is indicated at 61, is used to drive the pivotal movement of the support 3 relative to the frame 41. The hydraulic cylinder 61 includes a piston rod 65 that can extend and retract in a conventional manner. The hydraulic cylinder 61 is in fluid communication with the hydraulic system of the telehandler T via hoses (not shown). Thus, the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 61 can be controlled using controls positioned on the telehandler T, as is know in the art. The support 3 can be pivoted with respect to the frame 41 manually or using other types of driving mechanisms without departing from the scope of this invention.

The hydraulic cylinder 61 is pivotally secured to the frame 41 of the base 5 and the piston rod 65 is pivotally secured to a plate 47 mounted, such as by welding, to the underside of the beam elements 11A (FIG. 3). As a result, the support 3, which is affixed to the platform 43 of the base 5, can be pivoted with respect to the base by extension or retraction of the piston rod 65 with respect to the housing 63 by operating the telehandler's hydraulic system. As shown, the support 3 is moveable using the hydraulic cylinder 61 from a generally horizontal position (FIG. 10) to a 45 degree slope (FIG. 9) with respect to the base. The support 3 can be pivoted to substantially any angle within the range. It is contemplated that the range in which the support 3 can be pivoted with respect to the frame 41 of the base 5 can be larger or smaller than the illustrated configuration. Using the controls for the telehandler's hydraulic system, a telehandler operator can selectively tilt the support 3 about the tilt axis TA to place the roofing panels in a desired slope along their lengths. Thus, roofing panels supported by the support can be positioned and maintained at slope about equal to the pitch of the roof (FIG. 1).

In operation, the material handler 1 can be used to sheath a pitched roof on a structure using elongate panels of sheet material having a length and a width. The material handler 1 is placed on a smooth, firm surface. Each of the support arms 9 and telescopic beams 7 are adjusted as needed for accommodating the length and width of the selected panel. The support arms 9 are adjusted to accommodate the width of the panels by moving the forward and rearward portions 25, 27 of the support arm with respect to the central portion 23. The length of the panels is accommodated by adjusting the length of the telescopic beams 7. To change the length of the beam 7, the pin 15 is removed and the beam elements 11B-11D with smaller cross sections are slid in a longitudinal direction to the desired length. To secure the beam elements 11B-11D at the desired length, the holes 13 of adjacent beam elements are aligned and the pins are inserted therethrough. Using the telehandler T (or other suitable machinery), a plurality of elongate sheet material panels, such as a bundle, are picked up and loaded onto a support. The panels are positioned on the support such that they lie in a stack.

The forks of the telehandler T are then inserted into two fork tubes 33, 35 thereby connecting the material handler 1 to the telehandler T. Pins are inserted into apertures adjacent the distal ends of the forks to secure the handler to the telehandler. Hydraulic hoses from the hydraulic cylinder are connected to the telehandler. After the panels have been positioned on the material handler 1 and the material handler has been securely attached to the telehandler, the telehandler operator uses the controls to actuate the extensible boom of the telehandler to raise the material handler and move it and stack of panels to a desired location. The panels on the support 3 are positioned so that the support is next to the structure and the longitudinal axis LA of the sheet material panels extends transversely to the structure. The operator of the telehandler can use the telescoping boom of the telehandler to raise the material handler 1 to a height corresponding to that of the pitched roof to be sheathed. Next, the operator can tilt the support 3 of the material handler 1 to an angle corresponding to a pitch angle of the pitched roof to be constructed such that the sheet material panels are inclined along their lengths. As a result, the panels can be easily slid lengthwise from the stack on the tilted support onto the structure by roofers on the roof. The roofers can then securing the panels to the structure thereby sheathing the pitched roof.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 

1. A material handler for use by a self-propelled machines to handle elongate panels of sheet material, the material handler comprising: a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels; a base mounting the support for pivotal movement of the support relative to the base about a tilt axis which is transverse to the length of the elongate panels when held on the support, the base being adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine; a mover for driving the pivotal movement of the support relative to the base to selectively tilt the support about the tilt axis so that when the elongate sheets are held by the support the elongate sheets assumes a desired slope along their lengths.
 2. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a pivot connecting the support to the base.
 3. A material handler as set forth in claim 2 wherein the pivot comprises a hinge connecting the support to the base for pivoting about the tilt axis.
 4. A material handler as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a linkage connecting the support to the base, the linkage being adapted to extend and retract to permit the pivotal movement of the support on the hinge.
 5. A material handler as set forth in claim 4 wherein the base comprises a platform underlying the support, the hinge connecting the support to the platform along a first side thereof and the linkage connecting the support to a second side of the platform opposite the first side.
 6. A material handler as set forth in claim 4 wherein the support is adjustable for receiving the elongate sheets of different widths.
 7. A material handler as set forth in claim 6 wherein the support comprises plural support arms spaced apart from each other, each support arm having an adjustable length for accommodating elongate panels of different widths.
 8. A material handler as set forth in claim 7 wherein the support is adjustable for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
 9. A material handler as set forth in claim 8 wherein the base comprises a platform and the support comprises a telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
 10. A material handler as set forth in claim 9 wherein the base further comprises another telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths, the telescoping members being arranged on the platform to extend in different directions.
 11. A material handler as set forth in claim 10 wherein each telescoping member mounts a plurality of the support arms thereon.
 12. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a retainer located at an end of the support for holding the elongate panels, when held by the support in a tilted position, from sliding in one direction off of the support.
 13. A material handler as set forth in claim 12 wherein the retainer is pivotally mounted on the support for movement between a retaining position and a non-retaining position.
 14. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mover comprises a hydraulic cylinder.
 15. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 wherein the base is adapted for releasable connection to the self-propelled machine.
 16. A material handler as set forth in claim 1 in combination with the self-propelled machine.
 17. A method of sheathing a pitched roof on a structure using elongate panels of sheet material having a length and a width, the method comprising: loading a plurality of elongate sheet material panels onto a support, the panels lying in a stack on the support; raising the support to a height corresponding to that of the pitched roof to be sheathed; tilting the support to an angle such that the sheet material panels held by the support are inclined along their lengths; sliding sheet material panels lengthwise from the stack on the tilted support onto the structure and securing them to the structure for sheathing the pitched roof.
 18. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein tilting the support comprises tilting the support to an angle corresponding to a pitch angle of the pitched roof to be constructed.
 19. A method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising arranging the support so that the support is next to the structure and a longitudinal axis of the sheet material panels extends transversely to the structure.
 20. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the support is attached to a forklift, and wherein raising the support comprises extending a telescoping boom of the forklift.
 21. A method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising attaching the support to a forklift.
 22. A method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising adjusting the width of the support for holding sheet material panels of different widths.
 23. A method as set forth in claim 22 further comprising adjusting the length of the support for holding sheet material panels of different lengths.
 24. A material handler for use by a self-propelled machine to handle elongate panels of sheet material, each elongate sheet having a length and a width, the material handler comprising a base adapted for connection to the self-propelled machine and a support adapted to receive and support the elongate panels, the support being adjustable relative to the base in a direction to accommodate elongate panels of different widths.
 25. A material handler as set forth in claim 24 the support comprises plural support arms spaced apart from each other, each support arm having an adjustable length for accommodating elongate panels of different widths.
 26. A material handler as set forth in claim 25 wherein the support is adjustable for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
 27. A material handler as set forth in claim 26 wherein the base comprises a platform and the support comprises a telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths.
 28. A material handler as set forth in claim 27 wherein the base further comprises another telescoping member mounted on the platform for extending and retracting relative to the platform to adjust the support for receiving elongate panels of different lengths, the telescoping members being arranged on the platform to extend in different directions.
 29. A material handler as set forth in claim 28 wherein each telescoping member mounts a plurality of the support arms thereon. 